'Old-school' methods capture sacred images

2:12 PM,
Mar. 7, 2013

Written by

Tom Shafer

Students who are studying film-based black and white photography are taught to study the subject, analyze the light, choose the best composition, decide on a combination of f-stop and shutter speed, and recheck their focus, all before they hit the shutter button.

They are taught to "make the picture in the camera," to do all the artistic decision-making, the proper exposure and the desired depth of field the first time. Making corrections in a darkroom is much more difficult than sitting at a computer and using photo manipulation software to fix mistakes.